Talk about success! The Maruti Suzuki Baleno is about to turn one (it was launched on October 26, 2015) and it has crossed the 1 lakh sales milestone already. With it MSIL successfully set an example of competitive pricing (prices for the Baleno start at Rs 4.99 lakh) for a premium hatchback. And that in turn ensured about 9,000 units sold every month.

Lighter but more spacious and premium (on the inside) than the Swift, the Baleno is also loaded with features. It gets dual airbags and ABS standard across the range, and if you move up the ladder, there are premium bits like Apple CarPlay-ready infotainment system. Reverse parking sensors, LED DRLs, projector headlamps, etc. continue to further elongate the list.

And not only that; said features make it more of a global car — fittingly so with MSIL looking to export it to a hundred countries. It also happens to be the first Suzuki product that was made in India and exported to the domestic market (Japan). It’s also exported to Europe, Latin America, New Zealand, and Australia.

Sold exclusively at the company’s premium NEXA dealerships, the Baleno’s appeal is set to widen, with the launch of the Baleno RS soon. Said version comes with a 1-litre turbocharged petrol ‘Boosterjet’ engine, and has received good reviews from global press.

Here’s to the next lakh…